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A. FOSTER & H. BROWN. MODE 0P MOVING UAR$ UN RAILROADS.

No. 22,638. Patented Jan. 18, 1859.

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UNTTED %TATE@ PATENT UFFTCE A. FOSTER AND H. BROYVN, OF NIMV YORK, N. Y.

MACHINERY FOR MOVING RAILROAD-CARS ON RAILVVAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,688, dated January 18, 1859'.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AMBRosn Fos'rnn and HARVEY BnowN, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Moving Cars on Railroads; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which 7 Figure 1, is a general representation of the road, car, driving wheels and rope; Fig. 2, a view of the sliding rods having the coiled springs and grab attached; Fig. 8, is an enlafged view of the grab or grip.

A, the track; B, the cars; G, the driving wheels or pulleys; D, the endless rope; E, the sliding rods; F the coiled springs around and attached to the sliding rods; G, the grab or catch; H, the rope supporters; a, the vertical opening jaws of the grab; b, the reversed jaws of the grab or grip; c, the hinged braces of the grab or catch; (Z, d, cl, the lines or ropes by which the grab and jaws are operated; e, the eccentric by which the hinged braces 0, are operated by means of the rope, cl; f, the double eccentric or pawl by which the jaws, a, are operated by means of the rope d; g, the pawl or levers by which the reversed jaws or grips, Z), are operated by means of the rope, (Z.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

For the purpose of supporting the endless rope by which the cars are moved we erect posts on the side of the track, or if there are two tracks we place the posts between them at suitable distances; upon or near the top of these posts we attach radial arms extending out over the center of the track or tracks if there are two, to these arms we attach the rope supporters, H, which consist of curved arms, one of them extending down and embracing the lower point of the curve in which we place a friction roller or pulley in which the endless rope rests and over which it moves when in motion; the other curved arm extends down about two thirds the length of the first and there they connect by a face joint as they hang by hinged joints to the radial arms. For moving this endless rope thus suspended we use any motor, steam, water, or otherwise to CillS move.

move vertical shafts having wheels or pulleys near their upper ends which run horizontally nearly parallel to the radial arm upon the posts; in the grooves of these pulleys we place the endless rope with coils suiiicient to hold and move it in its whole length with all the cars that may be attached to it as propelled by the mot-or.

To the cars designed to be used and propelled by our mode we attach two substantial supports at each end of the cars at the top at suitable equal distances from the longitudinal center of the cars. These stanchions or supports have holes of just sufii cient size and smoothness to receive the sliding rods E, which are made about twice the length of the cars, wit-h their ends projecting out over at each end. These rods are connected by a bar framed in at their center; to these rods we attach an upright standard, resting at the bottom upon the cross bar that connects them and is supported by the four hinged braces, c, which diverge obliquely in brace form from this standard to the sliding rods, E, and thus firmly attached to the standard and rods. This standard is made fiat or in an eliptical form with its edge in the direction that the Upon the top of this standard the grab or catch, G is attached which is made in an angular form, hinged at the angle near the longitudinal certer thus making the vertical opening jaws, a. In the center at the bottom a grooved friction roller or pulley is placed over which the endless rope, D, runs when not held by the grip, 7), as described below. Near the top of the jaws, a, the reversed jaws or grip, Z), is at tached by hinged joints.

This arrangement of devices in our grab or catch may be subject to some modifications in further practical use. Around each of the sliding rods, E, we attach the coiled springs, F, fastened at one end to the stanchions and at the other to the rods near the foot of the braces, c.

Preparatory to operation our cars are placed on the track, the endless rope moving; the grab or catch by the reversal of the hinged braces, c, is inclined downward upon the car; the conductor by means of the rope, (Z, or otherwise raises the grab or catch to the perpendicular, the vertical open jaws, a, are now on each side of the endless rope, D, and it is running over the friction roller at the bottom of the jaws; the operator then closes the jaws at the top by means of the cord or rope, I), or otherwise. He next closes the reversed jaws or grip, b, by means of the rope cl, or otherwise, upon the endless rope, D, by which means the car is put in motion and brought to an equilibrium with the motion. of the endless rope, D', by means of the coiled springs, F, and sliding rods, E, and as the car approaches the rope supporters, H, (which have a curved horizontal fender made for the purpose) the edge of the standard that sup ports the grab comes in contact with this fender and the grab thereby passes through and within the rope supporters, H, and thus on continuously until the car arrives at the driving or reversing pulleys, B, where by a reversal of the several operations, the grab is again laid down on the car until it passes th pulley, B. If it is a reversal, the car is run upon a truck prepared for the purpose and thereby moved across to the opposite track preparatory to another operation of movement as before.

We do not claim the moving of cars on rail roads by stationary power and an endless rope or chain for that is an old device, but our improvement consists in the mode of attaching to and moving the cars by means of the devices above set forth in which we claim:

1. The rope supporter, H, constructed and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. e claim the sliding rods, E, with the coiled springs, F, attached or their equivalent for the use and purpose set forth.

3. We claim the grab or catch, G, constructed arranged and operated substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

AMBROSE FOSTER. HARVEY BROWN.

Vitnesses as to Ambrose Foster:

F. A. CUsHMAN, DANIEL SMITH.

\Vitnesses as to Harvey Brown:

JAMES FERGUSON, WILLIAM T. GRAFF. 

